TOKYO - Mitsubishi Motors Corp. unveiled Wednesday a new Pajero, reviving the iconic model line after a seven-year hiatus and relaunching it as the company's flagship sport utility vehicle.
The company plans to launch it in around 100 countries, with domestic sales starting by the end of the year. It will be produced in Thailand.
The first-generation Pajero was introduced in 1982 and gained a reputation as a reliable cross-country SUV after securing a class victory in a major rally competition the following year.
While its price has yet to be revealed, the new Pajero comes with a diesel engine and features a rigid "ladder frame" chassis, seven different driving modes and the iconic triple gauges used on center consoles of past models, the company said.
Before the line was discontinued, successive generations together recorded global sales of over 3.29 million units. The company has positioned the revived model as the key growth driver under its medium-term business plan through fiscal 2029.
Mitsubishi expects the Pajero to help the company meet its target of increasing domestic sales by 50 percent from the fiscal 2024 level to around 180,000 vehicles by fiscal 2030.
It plans to introduce two smaller versions of the Pajero in the future.
The sport utility vehicles have grown in popularity around the world.
The size of the Japanese market for large SUVs, with which the new Pajero will compete, was approximately 100,000 units in 2025, according to research firm MarkLines Co. The top-selling model was Toyota Motor Corp.'s Land Cruiser which commanded a share of about 40 percent in the market, MarkLines said.
